DirtTV: Chris "Mojo" Porter and Steve "Dirt" Jones talk bikes

DirtTV: Chris "Mojo" Porter and Steve "Dirt" Jones talk bikes

What happened was, Steve Jones from Dirt dropped into see Mojo Suspension man Chris Porter to get a set of forks serviced. These two know each other from way back and don’t half harp on a lot when ever they meet up.

So there they were in the Mojo back room having a heated harp about each others bike set up. Jones with his 29er 140mm Stumpjumper Evo and Porter with his 26″ 160/140mm Mondraker Foxy XR. Both quite different bikes yet with one thing in common. The bikes both fitted them perfectly. The Foxy XR with it’s long front centre and the 29er with its large wheels and large frame. Big blokes need big bikes.

Thinking that this conversation would be interesting to record, I sprinted out to the van grabbed the Dirt mic and plugged it into a camera phone and asked the pair of them “…err can you repeat that again please?”

So what we’ve got above is a lo-fi video with some very interesting talking points, long downtubes, shorter stems, weight transfer, wheelbases and some waffle, oh and a courier who comes in just as the pair are tackling 650b bikes, so we may have to do a part two or three.

I’m sure he’s great and all but that Chris Porter just seems miserable (Watch your language Joe. Cheers B)

The Postie

2 years ago

I probably couldn’t be arsed adjusting the saddle to a decent angle on a bike as ugly as Porters either..

jbsauce

2 years ago

6ft? big guys? not really!

Geemangee

2 years ago

Can they make one that doesn’t crack tho

craig

2 years ago

brilliant loved it more waffle please

The butcher

2 years ago

Need more of this kind of stuff.
Brill…..

Bob

2 years ago

What a pair of dicks! Knew there was a reason I didn’t by Dirt anymore, a guy who used to race in Wellies and a guy even Fox disagree with talking shit to confuse the public even more!

rod

2 years ago

But you check the website, yeah?

Jus

2 years ago

Or, a guy who has won the Masters World Championships and a guy who isn’t afraid to voice his opinion, which rightly or wrongly, should be applauded not heckled (Even if he does have a reputation for being a bit too straight talking for most people, something which I can associate with…)

The butcher

2 years ago

Bobby. What would you do to change the mag for the better?
Honest question. Honest answer please.

ste

2 years ago

I’m 5’8. Dt measurement of 28 inches and a 35mm stem. Coming off a medium glory onto it I felt stretched out at first but I can go anywhere on it now. Big bikes ftw

ste

2 years ago

The reason there aren’t any sub 35mm stems is down to steerer tube and bar diameter. 31.8 for bars and 28.6 for steerers means a 30.2 would be the smallest stem possible if bar was touching stem. (14.3 + 15.9, half each diameter) you can make shorter one by sitting the bars directly above the steerer tube but fashion dictates against this

The Postie

2 years ago

Bob, just revel in the knowledge they’ve both falen for their own bullshit..
The Butcher, I’d get rid of you for a start. Your reviews are pitiful.. kinda remind me of the Dirt of old where every single product was deemed “the one”

The milkmaid

2 years ago

What a knob. Were you bullied at school by any chance? And presumably you are now either (a) bullied at work or (b) still at school. Get a life.

Thank god for people like Jones and Butcher not filling reviews full of regurgitated marketing sht from the companies.

Jus

2 years ago

Postie, fallen has two l’s in it, and have you never considered that companies would rather have no press than bad press? If you don’t see it getting good reviews anywhere, don’t buy it!

Janosh

2 years ago

Thou shall not watch videos with Steve Jones. Or read Dirt for their “reviews”.

The butcher

2 years ago

The postie……give me a ring and we can discuss the bikes we’ve reviewed. Every bike that I wrte up is ridden by lots of other people from amateur to pro.
07970 737808
I’ll be waiting for your call.

Jus

2 years ago

In your FACE! pmsl What a reply! I LOVE this guy! You can’t argue with honesty.

Jamazepam

2 years ago

I’m gonna buck the trend here on the comments and say I loved the video. There’s not enough “Geek Chat” videos on here. Where all guilty of it when were out the weekend. So why shouldn’t Dirt just film chats with guys in the industry! Mind you that’ll just make me a Dirt Sheep in the eyes of some! Ha.

BigBalls

2 years ago

Bob and the Postie, just wondering what magazine do you own or write for?…… oh no you dont on both parts. If your so agaisnt dirt and what they do why are you on here reading articles and commenting? go onto the singletrack forum and moan about prices of products…..

coop

2 years ago

100% agree with you.

Like to see them do better. Its not like Jones etc been doing this for long or anything.

Eoin

2 years ago

Liked it even tho there wasnt much to it, they coulda delivered the same content in half the time. Get them to ride their own and each other’s bikes around a few loops with strava on, show the times then get them to comment a bit more on the advantages for a given terrain. I’d say the foxy is amazing on fast stuff, but it must be a bit rubbish on tight/twisty singletrack and need a lot effort to get around switchbacks?

Robbie

2 years ago

Thought It was an interesting vid, don’t know why people are being so negative. If you don’t like it why bother wasting your time commenting..?
Few peeps with massive chips on their shoulders.

Ben

2 years ago

If you don’t agree with Dirt and what or who they review/write/video et al, why watch or read it? Nobody is telling you to. if you have a better way and don;t need reviews, articles, photo’s, interviews to enjoy mountain bikes, then don’t buy it or watch the above. Get on with it.

Good video, geeky waffle but very interesting geeky waffle.

Nb

2 years ago

I thought it was a great chat video. There’s plenty of room for tech talk from passionate riders IMO. Looking forward to the next episode when Jones rides that XR which apparently has a wheelbase longer than a Large Summum. Please report back Jonesy, no matter what the naysayers write above.
Butcher, keep it up, I like your enthusisam.

WAKi

2 years ago

Is that a front derailleur on Steve’s bike?! Stone age! Or… coping with “increased climb stall” on 29er?

Death! Death! Death! to those fronty contraptions!

bacon

2 years ago

Great video, really good to hear a couple of guys who have ridden plenty of bikes talking about what they have found suits them best.

I have to agree with some of their points as well.

I’ve swapped my frame from a medium to a large for a longer reach/front centre length, but with the ability to run a shorter stem.
Chosen a frame with a slacker head angle as stock, after slackening it on my last frame, for added stability on faster sections.
Tried to pick a bike frame and parts which allows me to do the type of riding I actually do, enduring the uphills to enjoy the downhills.
I’m probably still a bit ‘over-biked’, in terms of travel, but it makes more sense to me & feels right.

Deepthroat

2 years ago

Can someone ay Factory invest in a couple of radio mics please

Jus

2 years ago

I did think a second mic was definitely needed… Get one for the next chat?

Of course the 29er chainstay is longer [29er, 17.9in / XR, 16.9in]
so the 29er front centre is far shorter on the [28.7in] v XR [32.6in]. Quite a different balance.

Sounds like the Porter bike will feel way longer at the front [3.9in], which, as Chris said,
allows him to lean forward to weight the front tyre.

It sure doesn’t look like he sits on that seat!

Can’t wait to hear about the test.
Please give us some numbers so we can factor in our own bikes 😉

BetFred

2 years ago

How about doing an article/ short film on the “Butcher meats the Postie” ?

LemonadeMoney

2 years ago

Now that would make Dirt better

Jus

2 years ago

‘Meat And Deliver’?

Eoin

2 years ago

Another thing I would love for them to comment on is the idea of slacker/longer shorter travel bikes. I would absolutely love to be able to buy a 120/130mm bike with a 66degree head angle and proper axles. It is annoying that to get good “fast” geometry you have to go to a 160mm bike.

The butcher

2 years ago

Betfred.
I’d like the postie to be involved with every bike test we do in the future. Every mans opinion counts in my opinion……

Kerry

2 years ago

Great vid guys. I have been thinking about the exact sizing and geometry issues you guys were discussing. I have a large Nomad with a 36 on it and I’m 5’11”. It is a wonderful bike but I keep wondering what a bigger bike that puts me even more in the centre of it would be like.

tommy

2 years ago

nice one jones, keep it up. ignore the haters. evolution of design comes from a good chin wag.

Tino

2 years ago

Sounds like two bikes for different things so the back to back comparison is not really going to define anything. Chris’s is for fast stuff, Jone’s for tighter stuff in the trees.
Your setup, sizes depends on your use. I back to back two enduros with different chainstay lengths and the difference is immense in stability and chuckability between the two. What feels best depends on where I am riding tbh.

stats

2 years ago

It would really help in all bike tests if the tester put their bio details on the article. These two talk about fit, but we don’t know their height, weight, inside leg. I think it’s Decline mag that get two people to test a bike and add their opinions and their bio details. Much more helpful.

Good idea Butch and Statsman. I reckon different body dimensions/proportions-arms, legs, torso would be useful. It might show up what freaks we really are!

Craig B

2 years ago

Not that sort of inside leg yer pervert!

Ali

2 years ago

5ft 11 and a half, weight under ten stone. Long legs, no torso. Dodgy riding style, consisting of preferring jumps to roots, and being a pansy. What else do you need? We won’t do ‘those’ measurements though, if that’s what you’re after Butch!

xeo

2 years ago

I have not watched the video. I like the comments. But why comment, after watching the video and say you don’t like Dirt, or the any of the writers ? well, you must, because you’re here. Weird. Mind you, we’re all weird. I think wagon wheel bikes are “weird” but that’s only what I think, NOT what I know, because I’ve not ridden one properly yet. That’s why I read/like Dirt. It helps with that blurry vision I get when I see new stuff. I’m now about the watch the video. Need more tea

The Postie

2 years ago

Butcher, for what it’s worth, I have enjoyed reading a lot of your articles, your style is entertaining, my only gripe is that I can only describe them as articles rather than reviews. A good review needs actual content.. call me a geek but I’d like a product review to actually be informative. Something Dirt (the Mag) has never really been very good at.. I realise it’s difficult to find a rider with enough experience and skill to actually understand what’s going on when they ride a certain bike and why, never mind getting the balance right between entertaining reading and dull technical geeking out while writing their findings but it can be done, and well.
Do you really want me to call you?

The Postie

2 years ago

Xeo, To me the website and the mag are two separate things.
I bought every issue of Dirt from issue 1 and generally used to read the thing from cover to cover and look forward to the next but with years of experience, becoming a better rider, owning hundreds of bikes and forming my own understanding of what make a bike work for me, the older, more knowledgable, cynical bastard I have become ended up voting with his feet and quitting what had become nothing more than a pointless habit.
The website on the other hand still keeps me happy with news, videos, and short articles and best of all I don’t feel cheated when reading supposedly technical information that is in actual fact absolute bollocks or atrocious spelling/grammar (Yes I am of that age).
I don’t dislike any of the writers though, and would never say so, they’re all perfectly likeable blokes who like myself share a love for riding bikes in the woods and hills etc. but that doesn’t mean I’ll agree with all their ideas. Anyway, I’m sure they’re all big enough to accept a little honesty from their readers.

ddmonkey

2 years ago

I am 6’1″ and having had a go on one of those Mondrakers realised I have been riding bikes that are too small for me for years. I now have an XL Specialised Endro with a 35mm stem and it is the nuts. 48 inch wheelbase, handles like a jet fighter and is very easy to get round tight switchbacks because I feel so secure and stable on it. Big bikes with short stems and wide bars are ace.

Rambo

2 years ago

my brain hurts

edit monkey

2 years ago

pure dope.
more content of this shape’ please…
lets NOT just leave it to the marketing dept. and the ‘copy’
they write.
& lets not just leave it to the corporate man and the ‘creative’
agency they employ.
& lets not just leave it to possibly ‘client sensitive’ magazine & suspension company staff.
its important to see a diversity of opinion creating a discourse on the things we love.
steve should shoot more like this.
i loved the verite feeling and the ‘straight up’ nature of the film.
more.

Peepster

2 years ago

More of that please I like the ramblings, more interesting than most of the rubbish on other websites

Peepster

2 years ago

and bring the Dai the robot back please

JCL

2 years ago

I can imagine these bikes having similar descending performance but the Stumpy would destroy the Mondraker on climbs and is probably 5lbs lighter. I’d like to know how much Chris thinks his front centre needs to increase and the head angle needs to slacken to equal the stability of the BB drop on the Stumpy? I think he’ll end up finding the elegant solution is the 29″ wheel.

Pete Stracey

2 years ago

Y’see, this is exactly the sort of conversations I have with my riding buddies and clued up customers. That’s why we should have more of this and less corporate sales pitch.

chris-m

2 years ago

A positive vote from me! The geek in me enjoyed that, so more of the same, please.

barney

2 years ago

I love a good old dirt ding dong.

CP is a ledge, what he has forgotten about bikes, than most of you losers will never learn in lifetime.

As for Jones, well the amount alcohol he been consuming recently has no doubt destroyed most of his hippocampus and that has left him vulnerable to being brain washed by the marketing types who are pushing 29″gay”ers. He’s got about 10 of them in his shed…check his eBay account!

At the end of the day you’re all looking in the wrong place…it’s not the bike you need to change, it’s the way you all ride or should I say learned to ride. All the best riders rode from an early age…by that I mean single figures or it’s just the fact you’re an untalented klutz!

The rest of you came in late in the game and think that by swapping wheels sizes and changing your stem will make you ride faster….you’re all having a laugh.

Speaking of laughing I be those marketing guys are all drinking their 29er sales bonuses right now!!

Losers!

Jon Gregory

2 years ago

Interesting stuff…and if two blokes can comment on what different bikes feel like then Steve Jones and Chris Porter have the combined experience and knowledge to back it. Content like this will hopefully drive the industry to evaluate whether it is worth their while investing in better fitting bikes or not irrespective of wheel size.

It was a little unfair to say that all manufacturers only offer a small, medium or large however as my experience this year on a ‘between size’ Ghost opened up my mind to the difference a better fit can make. No more back ache for a start.

Ben Eggleston

2 years ago

I don’t often post on Dirt but I do want to comment on this one. I’m amazed by some of the comments on this video (maybe it’s an age thing?). How con anyone fail to derive from these two guys that they’ve gone out and bought a factory spec bike in a size/spec that they felt most comfortable with, then customized it to suit? Surely they’re just pointing out that with two very different bikes they’ve actually come to a similar conclusion as they share a similar height/ riding experience? For me, it just seems that they’re proving theirs more than one way to skin a cat. Those who leave their bikes bone stock are either A) incredibly lucky that the manufacturer supplied a perfect bike to suit them from factory or B) too inexperienced to realize that they may need to tweek a couple of things so that it suits them better.
The part where the lads said “You’ll be faster on your bike, on your trails” was pure gold! In my opinion, it renders all other arguments invalid. Man up! Get some experience and once you’ve amassed as much experience as Porter and Jones, perhaps people will understand that what they’re saying made perfect sense.

jonesdirt

2 years ago

Aux armes, citoyens

Cyrus

2 years ago

The greatest trick the Devil pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist. Much like marketing men. The bike industry has fucked us….right in our ass. And taken our wallets, and who can blame them when we eat it up with such relish. A few people, not many but some people who’ve been sucked in by 29er hype have realised that they’ve bought big expensive lemons, and it takes a brave man to admit that he’s bought a pile of shit, but they are out there. Having ridden some very flash 29ers I am still waiting to ride one that isn’t dull, uninspiring, benign. Yes they grip. Yes they roll. But that has literally never been a problem for anyone who can read and ride and pump terrain. What would be better – more expensive, lesser specced, heavier bikes with big flexy wheels or lighter stiffer cheaper bikes with better damping? I know what I would have preferred. But then the industry doesn’t care what riders want. They’ll tell them what they want. We’ve heard for decades that mtbs are so expensive because of economies of scale, and that standardisation would be to key to lower prices. And yet they will now happily make 3 types of frame, forks, tyres and tubes…..driving up the price and down the quality of bikes. It’s a complete fucking joke and you (yes you) fell for it. Imagine if instead of diverging into new wheel sizes and fork sizes and frame standards and so, imagine if the bike industry ahd invested in making cheaper, stronger lighter bikes. Imagine a 150mm carbon full sus with awesome kit for £1500. Wouldn’t that be something to drive to? Instead you might get a 29er hardtail with half decent spec for that if your lucky. And this is to say nothing of the absolute hoard of new standards companies are now going to start throwing at us? Think 15mm bolt through axles and tapered head tubes and 142 rear ends are gonna be stiff enough for 160mm 29ers? Think again. We’re soon gonna be told that we’ll need 25mm front hubs, and 1.5″ steerer tubes and 150×20 rear ends to cope. And people will accept that. And then we’ll see 29er front wheels 650b rear wheels from Intense and be told that’s just like moto. And we will still buy it. Because bike mags and websites will die the instant a few big companies decide to pull their advertising. And that’s what would happen if we saw some honest reviews. P.S I really enjoyed the video, and the debate and am a big fan of dirt mag, but someone really needs to say something. Cos aint nobody got time for dis.

Craig B

2 years ago

Without doubt one of the snappiest posts I’ve ever read. I honestly never got bored getting to the end of that 😉

Jokes aside, some fair points.

Ali

2 years ago

Cyrus, quick reply to some interesting points. Firstly, we’ve got nothing to gain from pushing “hype” – if it’s good it’s good, and if not, well… There’s no reason to push a bad product needlessly. Even if a company advertises with all their money, it doesn’t mean they’ll get a glowing review of a bad product. Neither will any self-respecting company throw their toys out of the pram and cut the money because we’ve been honest.

Now on the 29er front, I was a bit like you before I rode them. Then one day Steve Jones cracked one out and we went for a ride. This was just after he’d done Trans Provence, and I didn’t have a hope in hell of keeping up on the hills. When he got onto a 26 though, and I stayed on a 29, I was alongside the whole way. I don’t know what 29ers you’ve ridden, but some of the ones I’ve spent time on have been fun, playful, and snappy. Sadly, tarring with the same paint-application-device won’t hold in the long run.

Jus

2 years ago

Having read all the above posts I have forgotten most of what was said in the video so need to watch it again. From what I remember though, yes, yes and yes to more but with a second mic. Not wanting to give too much away, controlled scientific experimental research is the only way to enable comparison and find conclusive evidence that they have in fact ‘ended up at the same place via different routes’.

Jus

2 years ago

On second watch(and third!), it was actually quite hard to follow what the guys were saying when quantifying the differences between the bikes due to the labels or phrasing used to describe an attribute changing almost sentence to sentence? Having been the guy in my circle of friends that gets asked to explain bike related questions like geometry and standards, due to my experience as a pro bike mechanic on and off for the last 12 years, I was only just able to keep up myself. I think if you were there at the time you would have been right with it or if you knew the guys personally and were used to their terms for things? Interesting that Chris seems to see things in a similar way to how I have found engineers do. Ie. back to front to how most laymen would describe something. Either way, unscripted honest videos full of opinion are brilliant to watch just because its bike geek indulgence and I’ll watch it every time and it stirs up the keyboard jockeys with nothing better to do, which is always funny, reading some of the drivel people are prepared to shout in an empty room… Sadly it hasn’t really started a debate, more an opportunity for pointless slagging. On a more positive note, Dirt is the best thing since sliced bread for downhillers as otherwise we’d all still be flicking to the back page of another mag to read the best bit first which was a cartoon sheep… Remember that and appreciate what you have now.

The emperor's new clothes

2 years ago

I see Dirt still has it’s subservient trendwhore minions ready to take offense at anything ever so slightly critical of Dirt or the Mountain bike industry at large. The “bullied at school” and “hater” comments are what sums these ignorant little turds up! Whining like spoilt little bitches because someone doesn’t agree with them. Boo fucking hoo.

Ah well let the sheeple keep buying the overpriced tosh in it’s 100 million variants. It means people like me (ie people who aren’t complete mugs)can buy their barely used “bling” dirt-cheap on the second hand market!

Thank again. 😛

LemonadeMoney

2 years ago

So what happened to the head-to-head?

Simon

2 years ago

Please make follow up on this vid!

Lots of interesting opinions / measurements / comparisons and so on about geometry and suspension of bikes, about which there’s either a sore lack of information or it’s anyone’s guessing game.

In any case, it’s hard these days to find a bike that will suit you because they’re either so much alike or surrounded by so much marketing BS, let alone an enthusiastic consumer would have the time to try all the relevant bikes out before buying something new.

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